How to Train Your Dragon (movie) Review

Title: How to Train Your Dragon

Genre: Action, Adventure, Romance, Mythology

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

General Set-up: Hiccup is a viking, rather on the small side, who wishes to prove that he is just as useful as everyone else. In an attempt to prove this, he builds a contraption to help him catch a dragon, so that he can gain status in his village. But nothing goes according to plan.

Characters: Hiccup is a rather interesting character. Not a child, nor an adult, he seems to be in his early teen years. He is notably smaller than the vikings that surround him, and less blood-thirsty, but perhaps remarkably smarter. His desire to prove his self-worth resounds in the hearts of the audience. What, in my opinion, makes Hiccup so endearing was his sense of humor. Sarcasm abounds in this movies, mostly in Hiccup’s lines. As is seen in the very first lines of the movie, Hiccup will be the one to guide us through this story. Right away, we are introduced to another major character: Stoic the Vast, Hiccup’s father. He is the rather stubborn leader of Berk. At times relatable, frustrating, and heart-warming, the father-son relationship is explored through fantastic storytelling. The other two characters of note are Gobber (the Blech--if you read the novels) and Astrid (who, to the best of my knowledge, is an original character). Gobber is Stoic’s friend, the local supplier of dragon-fighting tools, and also the person who teaches dragon fighting. Astrid is the local dragon prodigy and Hiccup’s crush.  

Much to my disappointment, very few other character were fleshed out. Now, I believe that was mostly due to time constraints, but I am glad that we got to see more of them in How to Train Your Dragon 2 and Dragons: Race to the Edge. Because of the unique setting, storytelling, and animation, more is always a good thing.

Plot: What makes this movie go from mediocre to great lies in the way the story is told. The plot is clear and concise, but the dialogue is a thing of beauty. From the opening line describing where Berk is located, to comments (from Hiccup) about Berk, the laughs keep coming. Perhaps because it is both a underdog story and a coming-of-age story, you cannot help but cheer on Hiccup in his sometimes ridiculous endeavors. The plot gets rolling, and never stops. It can go from tugging on your heart strings, to having stitches in your side from laughing so hard. The plot never seems slow, nor does any of the dialogue seem to be wasted. From the first line to the final line, this is storytelling done right!

Ending: The ending does have a conclusion to the current problem that Hiccup faces. It ends on a bittersweet note that leaves the audience satisfied, but leaves the option for sequels. As we all now know, How to Train Your Dragon did get a sequel, along with several animated series.

  

Sound/Music: John Powell! Do I need to say any more? For those of you who don’t know, John Powell is one of my favorite composers ever. His resume includes titles such as Prince of Egypt (song: Playing with the Big Boys), Kung Fu Panda 1 and 2, Shrek, and Rio. And what do all of these titles have in common? Amazing choice in music, of course! What I love about John Powell’s work, mostly in animated films, is that he chooses a few lines that become the “theme” of the soundtrack. Then, he works those notes into every song, ‘uniting’ the whole soundtrack. And when you hear those notes, instantly, you think of the film. His music turns mediocre films like Rio into decent movies. Thus it stands to reason that in How to Train Your Dragon, his music turns the film from a work of art into a masterpiece! Between his work on How to Train your Dragon, and Kung Fu Panda, I have a hard time choosing a winner.

Animation: In (now) typical Dreamworks fashion, this film is animated with 3D animation. For the time that it came out, the animation was spectacular. Yes, when you compare the animation of the original to its sequel, it seems dated. But the film is always smooth, rather detailed, and uses a variety of colors. The biggest difference in the animation between the two films is that the newer film chooses a light color pallet and has more detailed facial expressions and clothes.

Even so, the animation is still breath-taking to this day. The characters are uniquely designed, and the dragons are different, yet each is interesting. Unlike many stories with dragons, the animators chose not to “cut and paste” a dragon, but each dragon had a unique, not traditional design.  

Things to watch out for: N/A

Other media: How to Train Your Dragon is actually based off a book series by the same name written by Cressida Cowell. While some things remain the same, the book series has a different tone. Many of the characters overlap including Hiccup (Horrendous Haddock III), the dragon Toothless, Fishlegs, Stoick the Vast, Snotlout, and Gobber (the Belch). However, other than a common setting and characters, many of the similarities end. The How to Train Your Dragon book series is like a set of short stories and is geared to younger audiences. Rather than relying on sarcasm as the main source of humor, Cowell tends to use situation that are ludicrous and many “3rd grade boys” joke. After all, they live on the isle of Berk (British slang for fart) next to Meathead island. The books are written at about a third grade reading level, and the content reflects that age group.

There is also the sequel How to Train Your Dragon 2, with How to Train Your Dragon 3 in the works.

 I thought that I would also mention the animated series that can be found on Netflix. The only one that I have personally watched is Dragons: Race to the Edge. This series has a feel far more similar to the book in both the way it is presented, and the simplicity of the plot. Nonetheless, it is still worth the watch. Netflix also has How to Train your Dragon: Legends, which focus on Gobber, and Dragons: Dawn of the Dragon Racers, a short about how the game seen in the first scene of How to Train your Dragon 2 is played.

Cosplay and Christianity

     Note: This post is addressing the topic of cosplay and Christianity, but it is also written by a Christian, to Christians as a whole. 

     Believe it or not, this is a topic that is met with a fair amount of controversy in religious circles. If one were to google “should Christians cosplay” (as I did recently - because I was bored and curious) they would be met with a wide variety of responses, ranging in emotional temperature from calm and cool to BOILING HOT! Today I am going to give my own opinion on the topic. I do not expect everyone to agree with me, in fact I know that that is not the case, but I hope you will hear me out.

     Cosplay, like practically everything else that has existed ever, is NOT inherently evil. However, this does not mean that it is not without it’s dangers. I think it is perfectly okay for Christians to cosplay. In fact, several evangelism ministries have been founded around the premise of cosplay (Note: As a rule I am not big on tracts to evangelize, but that is a discussion for another time). Christians are called to ‘be in the world, but not of it.’ Some would take this to mean that Christians have to live on earth (until Christ comes back), but they should be separated from the world in terms of lifestyle and values. I would agree with that, but I would also like to add that Christians should not seclude themselves from their unbelieving neighbors. Christ did not call us to remain isolated. Instead, we should be actively involved in the lives of non-believers. It is because of this that I see nothing wrong with engaging in activities that non-believers also enjoy.

     Okay, you may be asking, we’ve established that it is okay for Christians to participate in cosplay, but are there any exemptions to that rule? Sort of. Because we are involved in the world to reveal Christ’s love and his saving grace (this is what true Christians should be doing. I would like to personally apologize to all of you who have had a bad experience with someone who called themselves a Christian, but didn’t act like it) we must remember that we have a reputation to uphold. 

     So, for you Christian cosplayers out there: I think what you are doing is awesome! Rock on! But, you have to remember: people are watching! Let me repeat that: PEOPLE ARE WATCHING!!! Okay, that sounded a little strange. Let me back up a bit. I’m not trying to insinuate that big brother is watching, but merely remind you that Christians are Christ’s representatives on earth. When people wonder what this whole ‘Christianity’ thing is, they look to Christians around them to show them who Christ is. Be aware of your behavior and make sure you are acting in a way that is honorable and wholesome.

     Also, please walk the walk just like you talk the talk - don’t be a hypocrite! If you go to a convention with non-Christian friends who know you are a Christian and you act in way that is inappropriate and contradictory to what the Bible says (ex. revealing outfit, costume from a dirty genre, bad language, acting like a general jerk, ect.) then you are not only ruining your witness to your friends, but you are tainting their view of Christianity in general by acting in an un-Christ-like manner. Regardless if you are a Christian or not, you shouldn’t act like a jerk.

     In conclusion, there is nothing that should keep a Christian from cosplaying. In essence, cosplaying is simply putting on a costume--imagine the riots that would happen if Christianity outlawed “dress-up” for little kids! That being said, that does not mean that it is ok to act in a way contradictory to Christ while cosplaying. It’s not a pass to dress however you want, or treat people in a way that demeans them. Creativity is celebrated within Christianity, so have fun with it, just remember to treat people with respect and kindness.

Book Review: Poppy

It's our first book review guys!

Book: Poppy by Avi

Genre: Children’s novel

Rating: This book is the essence of my childhood, so I cannot in good faith come up with a numbered rating for this book without being biased. Feel free to read the rest of my review and judge for yourself.

General Setup: This book starts out with a description of the villain. Now, this guy is bad to the bone. He is evil, he is despicable, and he kills without mercy. One night he is looking for his next mark and he spots a couple on a top of a hill: a skater dude and his home-schooled girlfriend. The villain strikes, killing the skater instantly and grazing the girl.

That is pretty much how this book starts out, except I have omitted one detail: All the characters are animals!

Characters: The villain I mentioned before is an owl named Mr. Ocax who rules over an area called Dimwood Forest. He keeps his subjects in line by requiring them to ask permission before leaving their immediate territory. In exchange for this he promises to protect them from the menacing porcupine. Enter Ereth the porcupine, a crotchety, foul-mouthed and generally grumpy sweetheart. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the biology of porcupines, they are herbivores. So the fact that Mr. Ocax promises to protect the mice from porcupines is somewhat ridiculous (something I missed out on when I first read this book in second grade). Something else I didn’t pick up on right away is that Ereth’s full name (Erethizon Dorsatum) is actually the Latin name for porcupines -> fun fact! And finally, we get to Poppy, our main character! Throughout the book she grows past her timidness and benefits from venturing beyond her home. We get to see her grow as a character and join her in her first adventure!

Plot: To be honest, this book is only 160 pages. And it is aimed for an elementary-aged audience (kids 8 -12 to be exact). Those two factors could potentially lead to the plot being watered down, but that did not happen. Granted, the plot is not as intricate and complex as other books that are aimed for older audiences. However, Avi did really well with this book in that the characters drive the plot and the plot doesn’t drive the characters. What I am trying to say is that the plot advances because of decisions made by characters and how those decisions affect other characters, not because things happen for the benefit of things happening. Also, the little details that Avi inserts into the story really help it to come alive. Like, the side characters have personality! And Avi carefully chooses his words to present the best image with his words.

Ending: On one hand, I feel like Avi could have ended the book at the end of the second to last chapter. Like, Poppy is back home, Ereth has been reunited with the love of his life, and the conflict is resolved. However, the last chapter (which is all of six paragraphs) ends the book on a nice note and not Poppy’s father awkwardly jumping on the bandwagon at the last second.

Things to Watch For: Some characters die, but it isn’t really graphic. I read this in 2nd grade, okay?

Sights: Since this was a book you weren’t expecting to see this section, were you? Well, Poppy includes illustrations scattered throughout the pages by Brian Floca. They really add to the experience of the book, so I’m just gonna take a minute to talk about them.

First of all, the illustrations did not inhibit my ability to enjoy the book as a work. While reading the book I was able to form my own mind pictures that were independent from what the illustrations looked like. Also, the illustrations and the text really blended well together. This includes not only how the pictures illustrate the text, but how they were placed on the page.

Secondly, Brian Floca is a very talented illustrator. He has a large body of work varying in style and genre. For the illustrations in Poppy he works in graphite, and let me tell you they are beautiful in their attention to detail and composition!

Other media: I’ve gotten this mixed up before, but technically Poppy is the second book in a six-book series, even if it was written first chronologically.

First Impression: Tsukigakirei

For a video version of this first impression visit our YouTube channel.

     The first thing I noticed about this show is the animation. It caught my eye because I couldn't figure out if they were using 2D or 3D animation. I think it is a blend, but it is hard to tell even when they are using 2D animation because of this thing that they do when the characters and standing in the sunlight. They use a very distinct white hi-light  on the characters that almost acts as an outline, and mimics the look of 3D animation.

Comments on the theme song:
    If I could describe the theme song in one sentence, it would be: Cherry blossom petals raining from the sky! Almost all of the theme song is seen through this veil of cherry blossom petals. The background hi-lights  scenes and settings that are important to the story (at least I'm assuming they are important). A fun touch they added at the end were scenes that preview what is going to happen in the upcoming episode.
     Some of the theme song includes live-action film, except it is slightly blurred and distorted. I didn't like it as much and thought that it felt a bit out of place.

First Episode Info:
     Your two main characters, a guy and a girl, are entering their third year of middle school. The guy's name is Kotaro and the girl's name is Akane. Something I noticed was that Akane seems to struggle with some form of anxiety. She has a little stress ball that she carries around and relies on to help calm her nerves. Despite that, she is outgoing and is a valuable member of the track team. Kotaro, on the other hand, spends his club time in an independent writing club.
     After school one day Akane's family decides to go out for supper. Interestingly, they end up sitting in a booth across from Kotaro's family. Maybe it's just me, but in middle school, when I would see someone I don't know particularly well in public it was kind of awkward. Akane and Kotaro both notice and recognize the other person. To make matters worse, their parents find out they know each other and introduce themselves. As they are leaving the restaurant after supper, Akane asks Kotaro if he wouldn't mention to anyone at school that they met. Kotaro is a bit confused, but agrees.
     Later that week both Kotaro and Akane get put on the equipment team to prepare for the school sports festival (aka field day). To keep up to date about the upcoming event, they share their LINE contact information. This we assume, is the start of what will become a romantic relationship between the two.

Other Stuff:

LINE - LINE is a type of social media that is popular in Asia. One of the reasons this anime caught my eye was because, I have LINE myself. It allows for free texting with internet and lets me keep my phone bill down. I think it will be interesting to see how the two character's relationship grows through their use of LINE, but also if that becomes a hinderance to them interacting in real life.

Angst Levels? - Both middle school/high school settings (especially in the shojo genre) seem to generate a lot of drama and angst. We'll have to wait and see how much of a factor this becomes.

Music! - I have noted before that I don't really tend to pay attention to music in a show. This time, it actually stuck out to me, so I am looking forward to see how music is used through the rest of the show.